By JIM BELSER
University girls’ basketball suffered from a slow start against Bethesda Christian in the Pioneer Conference championship game Saturday night. Unable to make up the difference, the Trailblazers fell 65-49 at home, giving the Patriots the conference title.
It was the third game against Bethesda this season for University (14-5), and after splitting a pair of close games earlier in the season, the ‘Blazers allowed Bethesda (14-3) to take home the best of three. A miffed University coach Justin Blanding didn’t hide his frustration afterward and wasn’t interested in cutting his team any slack.
“We can’t let them get us down by 20 and expect to win,” he said. “They wanted it more than we did, and it showed.”
The two top 20 Class 1A programs are having strong seasons and with the two previous games between them close affairs, this contest was expected to go down to the wire.
But Bethesda, with its two crafty guards, came out pressing and took the action to University. Maddi Fuchs and McKenna Baker of Bethesda combined for five first quarter steals as University committed 11 first half turnovers. Baker hit Fuchs for a fast break score and Fuchs scored twice more from steals in the first to end the opening quarter up 16-6.
Fuchs would finish with 35 points and Baker tallied 11 for Bethesda. Lindsey Syrek led with 19 and 8 rebounds for University, adding 3 blocks. The 6’2” Syrek’s impact on the game appeared to be diminished by Bethesda’s strategy of pressing and pushing the ball up the court at every opportunity.
Bethesda stretched out the lead in the second quarter. An offensive rebound put back by Bethesda’s Darcy Patterson gave the visitors a 32-11 lead with 3:24 left in the half. With her team experiencing such an onslaught, Syrek of University began to assert herself as the minutes of the first half counted down.
She scored inside, hit a pair of free throws and turned away two Bethesda shots in a stretch that saw the Blazers go on an 8-2 run. Fuchs of Bethesda countered with a 3-pointer and knocked down two free throws following a blocking call on Syrek with :13 seconds left in the half.
Syrek began the third quarter by muscling in a contested inside shot after grabbing an offensive rebound. Brook Andrus of University drained a 3-pointer and teammate Natalie Nickless matched her with another three after a steal. Lily Snyder, who finished with 13 points for the ‘Blazers, scored on a drive to cut the lead to 41-35 with three minutes left in the third.
“We just started to do what we normally do, what we should have been doing,” Blanding said.
But once again, Fuchs and Baker for Bethesda regained control. Fuchs stole a pass and scored on a fast break and Baker’s ball handling allowed the Patriots to maintain long possessions for much of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter saw Fuchs and Baker alternate ball handling duties, successfully running down the clock as the ‘Blazers scrambled to come back from the large deficit. Fuchs was sent to the free throw line several times as the ‘Blazers were forced to foul. Lily Snyder dribbled through the Bethesda defense and scored a lay up to cut the lead to 55-47 with three minutes to go. The Patriots outscored the hosts 10-2 the rest of the way.
The two teams are likely headed for another matchup as the pair are slotted in at the same sectional.
“If we are lucky enough to play them again, it won’t look like this,” Blanding said.
University next takes on Guerin Catholic at Guerin at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Bethesda Christian 65, University 49
University FG FT TP PF
Brooke Andrus 1 2-2 5 5
Lindsey Syrek 5 7-8 19 2
Haley Tomlinson 0 0-0 0 1
Natalie Nickless 2 2-2 8 2
Lilly Fair 0 0-0 0 0
Lily Snyder 5 3-4 13 3
Lucy Snyder 1 2-2 4 3
Totals 14 16-18 49 16
University 3-pointers (3) Nickless 2, Andrus 1.